


our fears had no teeth

by lumoshyperion



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Albus and Scorpius come out to each other, Coming Out, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, The Potters and Malfoys go to the beach together, it ends how you would expect it to
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:28:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21916033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lumoshyperion/pseuds/lumoshyperion
Summary: The end of their studies at Hogwarts and a Potter/Malfoy trip to the beach bring out some unexpected, emotional truths from both Scorpius and Albus.
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Comments: 26
Kudos: 134





	our fears had no teeth

"There was no time in those days  
When all we knew wasn't stolen  
There was nothing real to lose  
When our heads were still simple  
We'd sleep beneath the moon  
You were something  
That would always be around  
When regrets were nowhere to be found"

\- Summer Skeletons, Radical Face

It was a warm evening in late July that found Astoria and Draco Malfoy sitting on the floor with the windows open as they pored over a puzzle they’d dragged out of the attic. It was a lame Christmas gift from some distant relation that had never been used, but they were bored and the cooling charm in the dining hall had yet to wear off, so they wanted to make the most of it.  
  
Leaning over her husband’s shoulder, Astoria took a piece from his hand and slotted it into place above a thatched roof of one of the cottages. Draco clicked his tongue and said, “Show off.”  
  
“Only a Malfoy would treat a puzzle as a competitive sport,” she replied, tapping her chin on his shoulder as she stared down at the azure sky of the puzzle.  
  
“Need I remind you of the bet we used to run at those dinner parties before we were married?” Draco asked. “Your idea, Greengrass. Not mine.”  
  
Astoria pursed her lips. “Touché.”  
  
They were due at the Potter’s in the morning for a planned outing to the beach, but they hadn’t heard from Scorpius since he retired to his room after dinner. He’d been talking about the trip for weeks, ever since he came home from Hogwarts after completing his final year there. Astoria found herself with a sudden urge to see him and stood up, excusing herself.  
  
“Don’t cheat while I’m gone,” she insisted, as she made her way out into the hall.  
  
Draco scowled. “How can I cheat? It’s a puzzle.”  
  
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”  
  
As Astoria made her way upstairs to their son’s bedroom, she thought about the beach trip with the Potters. Their two families had become closer and closer over the years, sharing day trips and dinners whenever they could. It was the events of Halloween during Scorpius and Albus’s fourth year that brought them together, but it was the boys and their blossoming friendship that had kept them together.  
  
Albus was quiet and shy and difficult to read, but he lit up around Scorpius. More than that, they seemed to complete each other, and they made each other so happy. Astoria never truly expected anyone to understand her son the way she and Draco had, but Albus did, and she was constantly grateful for it.  
  
When she came to his bedroom, the door was shut, and there was a soft sound coming from within. Stopping in the hallway, she listened. He was crying. Scorpius was crying. Her hand hovered over the doorknob, but she thought better of it and knocked instead. “Scorpius?” She said. “It's just me. Can I come in?”  
  
There was silence from the room. And then a quiet voice filtered through the doorway, though she could scarcely hear it, "Okay. Come in."  
  
Scorpius was sitting at the foot of his bed with a book in his lap and the window open. The dark green curtains swayed ever so slightly as a gentle breeze drifted through the room and Astoria shut the door behind her.  
  
"I'm just finishing this chapter and then I'll go to bed," he explained, without looking up. His voice was thick and his eyes were shrouded by his fringe. His entire body seemed to be trying desperately to hide, as he crouched over his book and gently leafed through the pages. Astoria had seen him like this so many times over the years, as the bullying at school and his misadventure in his fourth year with Albus got to him.  
  
He always felt things so deeply and clearly - it was always written in the lines of his face and the gestures of his hands. She knew the language of her son better than anyone else's. And yet she thought he'd been carefree over the past weeks since leaving Hogwarts. She felt ashamed for missing something, as she watched him bite his lip and brush a hand over his hair, flattening it on his forehead.  
  
Undeterred, Astoria moved further into the room until she was standing next to the bed. "Is there something you want to talk about?"  
  
Scorpius shook his head and rapped his knuckles on the pages of the book. "I'm - I'm fine, it's nothing. Just a little nervous about tomorrow, I suppose."  
  
"Why?" She asked.  
  
Scorpius scrunched up his face. "I don't know."  
  
"We’ve never been on a trip with the Potters like this before. And Rose and Hugo are coming too, this time. If it’s a bit much, we can always cancel? Or maybe we could just ask Albus and his parents to come?” Astoria suggested, although she was met with silence and she still couldn’t decipher her son’s expression as he bowed his head over his book.  
  
She wavered at the bedside as she waited for a response. It wasn’t forthcoming, so she looked over her shoulder at the doorway and wondered if perhaps he just needed some space, before he suddenly spoke up and she turned back towards him. "It's Albus. We - we haven't talked much since school finished and now he's stopped responding to my letters."  
  
Astoria smiled and sat down next to him. "I’m sure there’s a reason for that. Wasn’t he going to stay with Teddy Lupin at some point over the Summer? Maybe he’s been with him and hasn’t had time to respond to your letters just yet. And you’ll see him tomorrow, anyway. You can talk it over then.”  
  
"It's not just that," Scorpius replied, quickly. There was an edge to his voice that Astoria had not expected and she pursed her lips, gripping the end of the bed as she watched him in silence. He seemed desperate to express something. He had that air about him that he always did when people were discussing a topic he had studied and he wanted to contribute, but was waiting for the right moment to speak. Except there was also a sense of anxiety about him, communicated in his restless hands and eyes which darted across the room as he looked anywhere but at her. "I miss him. I miss him more than I thought I would, in ways I haven't before. And I think - I think I know why." He paused and shook his head. "But it doesn't matter.”  
  
"What doesn't matter?" She asked, as he set his book aside and stared at the window. He was avoiding something, but she couldn't say what it was, so she leaned forward and brushed his hand with her fingertips to catch his attention. "You know you can talk to me. It's alright."  
  
Suddenly, Scorpius sighed and sat up straight. He turned and looked at her, and his eyes were clear as day. “Do you remember Sophia Barclay? We met her in Diagon Alley the other week?”  
  
Astoria blinked. “Yes... Was she the brown haired one? Or her friend, with the broomstick?”  
  
“The brown haired one. She was a Ravenclaw, in my year," he explained, his brow furrowed with an all too familiar sense of worry. “...And that wasn’t just her friend.”  
  
“Oh,” Astoria uttered. And then her eyes widened. “ _Oh_.”  
  
Scorpius made a noise and then stood up, dragging his hands over his face as he paced the floor. “I shouldn’t have said anything. And it doesn’t matter, anyway.”  
  
“Why doesn’t it matter?”  
  
He stopped and looked at her. His face crumpled as he spoke, quietly, “Because he doesn’t like me back.”  
  
Astoria looked up at him. She held out a hand, until he took it, and then she gently pulled him back to the bed so that she could wrap her arms around him. Scorpius gave an almost inaudible sigh as he buried his face in her shoulder. Astoria had always suspected that he had feelings for Albus. The way he looked at him, and the way Albus looked back… But he didn't feel the same way? A part of her wanted to be upset, though she knew she shouldn't be. Albus would never wilfully hurt her son.  
  
"You're not angry?" Scorpius asked, his voice muffled by her blouse.  
  
"Why would I be angry?"  
  
When he responded, it took a moment for Astoria to understand, as his tone was so low and weak. "Angry that I like boys."  
  
She pulled away so that she could look at him. His eyes were red and his lower lip was trembling. She stroked his hair out of his face and smiled, softly. "Of course I'm not angry. I love you. Nothing will change that - and certainly not this," she paused, watching him digest what she had said. Eventually, he nodded, and then watched as Astoria sat back and stroked his hand with her thumb. "You know, there were plenty of girls I liked when I was at Hogwarts. And a few after that, as well."  
  
Scorpius's eyes went wide and he spluttered, " _What_? But - But you're married to dad? And -" Then he stopped and glanced away, clearly deep in thought. But there was a growing smile on his face. And Astoria knew that he was going to be okay.  
  
“Do you want to tell him? Your dad?” She asked. But then Scorpius looked up and frowned, so she raised a hand and shook her head. “It’s alright. Whenever you’re ready.”  
  
Scorpius let out a shuddering breath and stared up at the canopy of his bed, blinking rapidly as though trying to dismiss his tears before they came. Astoria stroked his hand and waited. “What if - What if I upset him?” He finally asked, looking back at her. "I've always been so - different. What if I make him angry?"  
  
“You won’t," she replied, immediately. But he didn't seem convinced. “Scorpius. He loves you. He wouldn’t change a thing about you.” She reached over and brushed his hair from his face. It was getting longer, it had been all year. But he still had the same eyes, the same boundless youth and kindness about him. “You’re our boy. You always will be.”  
  
His eyes were glistening with tears, but he still offered a weak smile as he asked, "Even when I'm old and grey?"  
  
" _Especially_ when you're old and grey," Astoria replied.

* * *

The Potters had spent weeks agonising over a beach to travel to after Albus, Scorpius, and Rose finished their studies - before finally settling on a private stretch of coastline in France. There were rock pools for Lily and Hugo to explore, the water was warm enough to swim in, and they could only get to the beach via portkey so there wouldn’t be any Muggles about.

Seeing Scorpius for the first time since they graduated was a strange feeling for Albus. To have gone from seeing each other every day to not seeing each other at all, it was a shock, and it gave Albus far too much time with his own thoughts and feelings about his best friend. As he walked behind the group, he stared at the back of his neck. Memorising the curls of his silvery hair and delighting in the sound of his voice as he talked to Rose.

He tried not to listen to their conversation, but the growing sense of envy in the pit of his stomach just couldn’t be ignored. They were discussing their plans after Hogwarts. Both of them had already been offered placements - Scorpius at Saint Mungo’s and Rose at the Ministry of Magic. They couldn’t decide if they wanted to start them right away or if they’d rather take a year off, perhaps travel somewhere before settling into their new positions.

At that moment, Scorpius looked at Albus over his shoulder. He didn’t say anything, he just stared at him, as if hoping he would engage in the conversation. But Albus had no plans after Hogwarts. There had been suggestions and offers over his last year of studies, but he’d refused all of them. He couldn’t decide what he wanted. He didn’t have a calling that he was really passionate about, like Rose or Scorpius or his brother, James. They were all so certain of themselves, but Albus never had been, and this was a decision that would change the course of his life.

All he wanted to do was spend more time with Scorpius. All he wanted to do was go back to seeing him all the time, like at Hogwarts. He hadn’t realised how lonely life was without him in it until they spent time apart. But Scorpius had a future. And Scorpius was in love with his cousin, Rose, who he was currently chasing into the ocean as they both laughed gleefully.

The envy in the pit of his stomach couldn’t be ignored anymore, and neither could the sensation in his heart of wings taking flight whenever Scorpius looked at him. _But Scorpius was in love with his cousin, Rose_. And he wouldn’t get in the way of that. He wouldn’t hold Scorpius back. He’d done that before - in their fourth year and the months that followed - and he refused to do it again.

Albus had hoped Lily would make a beeline for the rock pools, with Hugo following suit, so that he had an excuse not to join Rose, Scorpius, and James as they went swimming in the sea. But instead he watched, frowning, as Lily and Hugo followed the trio. They all shouted for him to join them. He shook his head and cast about for something else to do, or someone to talk to.

He spotted Astoria, standing by the water with his mother and father. They were talking and laughing. She glanced over at him with those deep brown eyes and for a moment, they stared at each other in silence. He thought she was about to make her way over to him, before she looked away when Harry said something.

Albus fiddled with the drawstring of his shorts. He was avoiding the inevitable - the truth that had been on his lips all Summer. But what was he supposed to say? _Excuse me, Mrs. Malfoy - I’m hopelessly in love with your son but I can’t tell him because he still has feelings for my cousin, who doesn’t even like boys, and any time I try to tell him this I get all scared and stupid and tell him I like his shoes - I just thought you should know?_  
  
“Albus?” A voice broke his train of thought and he looked up, meeting the cool grey eyes of Draco Malfoy. “Might I have a word?”

Surprised by this intrusion, and still watching Astoria from a distance, he gave a shrug and followed Draco across the rocks and towards the glistening pools. They walked in silence for a while, Albus bending down now and then to look for crabs and seashells while Draco waited patiently for him.

He hadn’t spent as much time with Scorpius’s father as he had with his mother. Draco always scared Albus, a little bit. He could guess what Scorpius and Astoria were feeling. But he could never guess how Draco was feeling. His expression was indecipherable as Albus washed a conch shell, careful to make sure that there wasn’t anything living inside before he pocketed it in his shorts. Lily loved shells and had spent the walk down to the beach from the portkey with her head down, peering among the sand and the grass for any stray treasures to take home with her.  
  
"Have you given any thought to what you want to do now that you've graduated?" Draco asked, from above him.  
  
Albus looked up and frowned. "Oh. Not really."  
  
Draco inclined his head, glancing down at Albus, the sunlight catching on his silvery hair. "I was under the impression from Scorpius that you wanted to become a potioneer."  
  
Albus blinked, surprised that Scorpius had mentioned that to him. "Well - yes. I suppose I could do that. But I didn't do well enough on my grades,” he explained, standing up and brushing the sand from the back of his shorts. "Dad wants to put a word in for me at a few places, but I don't want him to."  
  
"Hmm.” Draco paused, a slight pout in his lip as he stared out at the ocean. They’d walked far enough that they could barely see the group they’d left behind, although Albus could still hear Scorpius laughing in the distance. "That diminishes what I was about to suggest."  
  
"What were you going to suggest?" He asked, continuing on across the rocks and expecting Draco to follow.  
  
"I own a _boutique de potions_ here, in France. I thought you might be interested in an apprenticeship there."  
  
Albus stopped and turned around. His mouth opened and closed in confusion as he stared at Draco, who seemed totally unaffected by their conversation. "You own a potion shop?"  
  
"I bought it years ago, before Scorpius was born. We always thought about moving here, but he loved Hogwarts so much and -" He stopped, waving a hand at Albus, while looking him up and down with an expression that contained depths which Albus couldn’t understand. "- we decided to stay where we were."  
  
Albus opened his mouth to speak, but found he wasn’t certain what to say. So he stooped down and picked up a pebble, before skimming it across the crystal clear waters of the rock pool. As he watched the ripples spread out across the surface, he muttered, "But I don't speak French."  
  
Draco gave a slight shrug. "That doesn't matter. The manager speaks both English and French, he can teach you the basics."  
  
Albus considered that for a moment and then said the first thing that came to mind, "Scorpius speaks French."  
  
Draco raised a slender eyebrow and smiled. "He does."

* * *

It was still warm when the two families returned to the Potter house, so they ate outside and talked into the late evening, until Astoria and Draco went home - leaving Scorpius to stay the night. And while the rest of the family stayed downstairs, playing board games and watching television, Albus led Scorpius up to his loft bedroom and they sat out on the balcony, drinking lemonade and counting stars until they lapsed into a comfortable silence.  
  
But the conversation with his mother was still on Scorpius’s mind. He never kept anything from Albus. They’d spent many a similar evening back at Hogwarts, although the chill of the Slytherin dormitory had them building blanket forts in one of their beds as they talked into the early hours of the morning. But somehow it was easier to tell secrets in those quiet, safe spaces - where no one could find them and the nights seemed endless. Somehow the open air of the balcony and the warmth of Albus beside him took all his courage away.

He'd been so quiet, during their trip to the beach. He wished he knew what was wrong, so that he could talk to him about it. So that he could fix it, somehow. He hated when Albus was this quiet. It always hinted at something deeper that was troubling him, though he never complained or asked for help. He knew that Albus had been struggling with deciding what to do after Hogwarts. And he'd probably been talking too much about his apprenticeship at Saint Mungo's. But, truthfully, he was considering rejecting it or putting it off. He didn't want to go straight into work after graduating. He wanted more days like their day at the beach. He wanted to travel, and he wanted to take Albus with him.

He'd missed him. And all the loneliness and upset he'd felt the day before had dissolved as soon as he'd seen him for the first time that morning. He'd gained so many new freckles on his shoulders and nose over the past weeks. And his hair was shorter, although by no means less messy than he remembered it. Glancing over at him, he stared at the back of his friend and the dark hair that curled at the top of his neck. He wanted to brush his hands through that hair. He wanted to ask him to go away with him and forget all the expectations of their parents and peers. He didn't want any of it - he just wanted Albus.

When he glanced back, Scorpius looked away before he could catch him staring. "I spoke to your dad today," Albus said.

"I saw you two walking off together," he confirmed with a nod. "What did you talk about?"

"He wants to give me an apprenticeship at his potions store in France."

Scorpius frowned, slightly. His father hadn't spoken to him about this. "Are you going to take it?"

Next to him, Albus sighed. "I don't know. It's really generous of him, and I don't exactly have any other options."

"Sure you do," Scorpius admonished. "You're brilliant, Albus. Once people see how skilled you are at potion making, they won't be able to refuse your application. And my dad knows how good you are - he wouldn't offer an apprenticeship to just anyone. He loves that shop."

Albus leaned back against the glass of the window and tilted his head skyward. His eyes were closed and his expression was distant. Then, without warning, his eyes snapped open and he peered back at Scorpius. In the fading light of the evening, he could just make out the iridescent green of his eyes. It made him flush red and he had to look away as Albus spoke, "Well, what if I do accept it? Then what?"

"What do you mean?" Scorpius asked.

"Will we still be friends?"

Scorpius leaned back and let out a gasp, that was almost like laughter, he was so taken off guard by what he had said. "Of course we'll still be friends, Albus. I was - I was worried you'd say something else."

"Like what?" He asked.

"Well - you stopped writing. I thought you were upset with me."

Albus's eyes went wide and he shook his head, fervently. “No! No, I - of course I’m not.”  
  
“That's okay," Scorpius said, waving a dismissive hand. "I've just... missed you, is all. And I thought that maybe you didn't miss me, and that's why you stopped writing."

There was a silence. Scorpius stirred the ice cubes at the base of his glass, before leaning down to pull the cuffs of his pajama pants over his ankles. It was starting to get cold. "I’ve ruined everything haven’t I?” Albus asked, suddenly, and Scorpius looked back over at him. But he was avoiding eye contact, instead staring out across the fields that made up the backyard of his parent's house. "I’ve wanted to tell you. I’ve tried to tell you. But obviously I’ve gone and screwed it up, I’m very good at that, and -”  
  
“Albus," Scorpius cut him off, frowning deeply.

Albus sighed. Then he put his glass down, by his feet, and spoke, "I like you, Scorpius. A lot. The way that you listen. Not just to me, but to my cousins and my siblings. To other students at school. You listen like they're the only person that matters in the world. I love that about you,” he paused, twisting the fabric of his trousers in his hands until it bunched up around his leg. “But I couldn’t tell you because I was scared of ruining our friendship and I’ve gone and done that anyway, haven’t I? I'm so stupid and selfish.”

"No," Scorpius said, a growing smile on his face. "No, no, no. Absolutely not."

Albus turned and blinked at him. "What?"

Lost for words, Scorpius settled with reaching over and running a hand through that dark hair. The curls seemed to fit perfectly around his fingers. Albus closed his eyes and let out a long breath, leaning into his touch.

Scorpius moved in closer, until they were inches apart, and brushed his lips against his. It was barely a kiss, but it sent shivers up his spine, and seemed to fill his fingertips with electricity and warmth. "Oh," Albus gasped.

"Oh." Scorpius conceded. And then a thought occured to him. "Can I come to France with you?"

Albus pulled back, enough so that he could look at his face. "But what about Saint Mungo's?"

Scorpius shrugged, his forehead resting against Albus's. "There's wizard hospitals in Paris. I'm sure I can find a place there."

Albus reached up and brushed his fingertips across his cheek. "But what about your parents? They're here, not in France."

Scorpius pulled back and squinted at him. "Will you stop trying to convince me not to come?" 

"Alright, alright," Albus laughed. " _Allons-y_."

Scorpius scrunched his face up at the rough pronunciation - it barely even sounded like a word at all. "That was very bad."

"And that's why I need you to come along." 

"I see how it is," Scorpius said, leaning back in for another kiss. This time, it was deeper. This time, Albus reached up and brushed his fingers through his hair, and it gave him goosebumps that made the sunburn on his shoulders and neck ache - but he didn't care.

He was kissing Albus Potter. They were going to France together. Albus was going to speak terrible French while Scorpius became the Healer he'd always dreamed of being. They could spend every evening during the Summer on that beach, if they wanted to. They could do anything, be anything. It was the happiest he'd ever felt and he knew, for once in his life, that it was going to last.

**Author's Note:**

> Title was from Summer Skeletons by Radical Face. The Malfoys living in France was inspired by Marina @per-mare-ad-astra (but, then, when isn't my writing inspired by her??)
> 
> So a few months ago, Jonathan Case tweeted that Scorpius is bisexual. And then he started agreeing with Myrtle in the play as she pined after Cedric in the girl's bathroom. And now Sean, the Australian Albus, has started responding in a similar way in the same scene. So I did the only reasonable thing anyone would do. I wrote a fic, abandoned it for months, and then picked it up again! It's only me messing around in between the two multi-chapters I'm currently writing, so it's not very good. But I wanted to get at least one more thing online before the end of this year and here it is! Let me know your thoughts in the comments.


End file.
